Staithes Artistic Heritage Marked by Locally Crafted Stingrays!

Once again, the Staithes Arts & Heritage Festival has taken place.  Running on September 8^th and 9^th  the annual event marked the long-standing artistic traditions of the North Yorkshire village, just north of Whitby.

Every year almost two hundred artists take over cottages, holiday homes and the like in order to open their doors and act as temporary art galleries selling a wide variety of works by local and visiting artists.

A centrepiece this year is the pair of stingrays which have been hand forged and fabricated from mild steel by Katie Ventress at her studio cum forge in the village of Hinderwell. One of a growing number of artist blacksmiths Katie creates all manner of objects in the workshop, the pride of place at the moment going to the stingrays.

Katie putting the finishing touches to the stingrays

“It’s given me a chance to show that I can create bigger pieces as well as smaller items,” said Katie. “And to be able to contribute to the fantastic artistic heritage of Staithes is very rewarding.”

Yet again this year the Festival has been supported by a cash grant from ICL Boulby.

The stingrays were fixed in position on Staithes seafront on Wednesday 5^th September at 14:30. Members of the press were welcome to attend.

For further information please contact Peter Dodson, 07753 910536, email [email protected]; or Ken Ryalls. Email [email protected].